Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison [Hardcover]

Bill Kinison (Author), Steve Delsohn (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 1994

A brother recalls the excessive and flamboyant life of the late comedian who died in an April 1992 car crash, portraying Kinison's checkered early years, his road to fame and fortune, and his personal struggles. National ad/promo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"Shock comedian" Kinison (1953-1992) was born in Yakima, Wash., the son of a Pentecostal preacher. A head injury at age three (he was hit by a truck) turned a reticent child into a rambunctious youth, who got his kicks by snatching handbags. After a stint as an itinerant preacher, Kinison decided to become a comedian and moved to Houston, where he was named the funniest man in Texas by the Dallas Morning News . A move to Los Angeles briefly stalled his career until the help of Rodney Dangerfield and an HBO special led to appearances on David Letterman and Johnny Carson and Saturday Night Live . Bill, Sam's brother, fellow preacher and manager, has written, along with freelancer Delsohn, an X-rated memoir about a very sleazy man. This book is filled with the sordid details of Sam's life: his drug use (acid, Quaaludes, cocaine, marijuana, amyl nitrate); his penchant for .38s and three-way sex; feuds with Andrew Dice Clay and Howard Stern; the suicide of their brother Kevin; Sam's problems with the gay community; his affairs with the likes of Penny Marshall, Beverly D'Angelo, porn star Seka and Jessica Hahn; his three marriages; and his death in an auto accident. It's all here in livid, salacious detail. Strictly for Sam's fans. Photos not seen by PW.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Sam Kinison, the "rock'n'roll comedian" of the 1980s, was known for his off-the-wall routines, which often broke long-standing taboos. As reported in this no-holds-barred biography by his brother, Sam's personal life was as wild and as flamboyant as his stage persona. (A number of Sam's comedy routines are quoted, and these examples clearly demonstrate his comic genius.) The sons of a Pentecostal preacher, both Sam and Bill themselves became preachers before Sam decided that his true calling was comedy. The brothers were close, and Sam was generous with his friends and family after achieving success, but his struggles with drugs, liquor, and sexual excess led to numerous skirmishes with the entertainment media. Sam was making a comeback of sorts-having married and succeeded in reducing his substance abuse-when he was killed in a car crash at age 38 in April 1992. His wit lives on. Recommended for most adult collections.
--Howard E. Miller, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri, St. Louis
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 315 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow & Co; 1st edition (May 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0688126340
• ISBN-13: 978-0688126346
• Product Dimensions: 9.4 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #461,038 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This biography of the Rock & Roll Comic *ROCKS!!*, August 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison (Hardcover)

As someone who owns all of Sam's albums, has a copy of all his video-taped stand-up shows and was an avid follower of his wild life, personal hijinks and scandalous ways, there were still questions that I asked which could never truthfully be answered--until I read this book. Bill Kinison offers insight about his brother that really opens your eyes to WHO Sam was and WHAT drove him. There are also several stories and valid reasons offered as to why Sam befriended certain celebrities, was at odds with some and literally *hated* others. All that was behind his relationships with Seka, Jessica Hawn and the lovely Malika--who would later become his wife--is explained in sharp, vivid detail. In this person's humble opinion, a MUST-READ! for anyone who considers themselves any kind of a Sam Kinison fan!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Both sides of a comic genius., March 31, 2006

By 

Brad Cooper "Author of Guilty by Association" (Beckley, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison (Hardcover)

As I write this review, I'm sitting here listening to an old tape of Sam Kinison appearing on Howard Stern's radio show with Malika and Amy Lynn in 1991.

It's hard to believe that the upcoming April 10, 2006 will mark 14 years since the world lost its last true comic genius. In BROTHER SAM, penned by his brother and fellow preacher Bill Kinison, Sam's life from the humble beginning to the tragic end is recalled in full detail by a man who was by his side for the vast majority of it. While many books about standup comics turn into a simple recount of every but they'd ever performed by the halfway point, BROTHER SAM is different. All of the familiar names from Kinison folklore are here: Seka, Malika and Sabrina, Robin Williams, Jim Carrey, Rodney Dangerfield, Howard Stern, Jessica Hahn... the list goes on.

While the public perception of Sam is that of a screaming renegade former preacher that ridicules Jesus and runs around high and/or liquored up 24/7, Bill tells a vastly different story. Sam is presented as a man who is not perfect but loved those around him. He loves God just as he did while in the ministry but hates the hypocrisy of the Jim Bakker's and Jimmy Swaggert's of the world of money-hungry religion. He did drugs, drank like a fish, and had more women in his bed than most men could ever imagine, and yet after a couple of health scares in 1990 and 1991 he made the effort to slow down, reinvent himself, and turn his life around.

As a Kinison fan who has several of the classic bits virtually memorized, reading the final chapter entitled "Sounds of Silence" was incredibly difficult. It's in those final pages that Bill recounts his eyewitness account of Sam's final hours of life, including the head-on collision that took his life. The ironic twist is that the driver who struck Sam's car was, in fact, a teenaged drunk driver... and it's that fact that resonates with every Kinison fan to this day.

Sam's impact remains with everyone who ever enjoyed his work. When we see the commercials for hunger organizations, we all think (or say), "There wouldn't be world hunger if you people lived where the FOOD IS! YOU LIVE IN A DESERT! NOTHING GROWS OUT HERE!". We still fire off an occasional "Oh OOHHHHHHHHHHHH!" for no good reason when we see something that provides us with proper motivation. He was one of a kind. He was a legend. He is truly missed.

Thanks Sam.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars More Than Comedy, April 14, 2005

By 

Wylie Hnat (Iowa) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Brother Sam: The Short, Spectacular Life of Sam Kinison (Hardcover)

Sam Kinison was more than comedy, he was always a very loud voice of reason during bad times. He was also the Rock N' Roll comedian. I first bought his Louder Than Hell tape 16 years ago. I thought it was a rock tape, much in the vain of Guns N Roses or Motley Crue with interesting songs, because that's how he looked. If you would have told me it was stand up comedy I never would have bought it. I listened to it, and I laughed and laughed. I bought everything else Sam I could get my hands on. With the exception of Brother Sam, only because I could never find it. Thanks to Amazon I now own it. The book is great. Although there are no surprises. I always understood Sam, and in my view he lived his life in the open, for better or worse. I admire the fact that Bill didn't try to make Sam's life seem rosy, as is the case with many celebrities after they die. Bill did what Sam would have wanted, just laid his life on the line as it really was. It also has a lot of Rock N' Roll references so it is a trip back in time in that regard as well. Sam took no prisoners. He held no cow sacred. He offended every side equally. All while being a former minister. Most importantly he laughed in the face of tragedy. The best comedy always comes from pain, and Sam made that pain not only bearable but fun. I just wish Sam was alive today. There would be laughter in things we have forgotten how to laugh at. Sam touched it all. So while it is considered un American to laugh at the hypocritical self righteousness of our leaders today, I can always read this book, and listen to the voice of Sam (alot of his material is printed in here.) laugh, and remember the guy who gave comedy and the world a shot in the arm.